Emily Everett’s debut novel All That Life Can Afford is a luminous, insightful exploration of the universal desire to reinvent oneself. With prose that is both penetrating and delicate, Everett crafts a coming-of-age story that resonates deeply with anyone who has ever felt out of place or yearned for something more. At its heart, this novel asks: what are we willing to sacrifice to belong? And at what point does reinvention become self-betrayal?
The novel follows Anna Byrne, a young American who escapes to London after her mother’s death, hoping to shed her lower-class Massachusetts upbringing and craft a new identity among the city’s glittering elite. What unfolds is a masterfully constructed narrative about the seductive pull of privilege and the complicated nature of authenticity.
Evocative Setting and Atmosphere
London itself emerges as a character in the novel—multi-layered, complex, simultaneously welcoming and alienating. Everett, who studied at Queen Mary University of London, writes with the intimate knowledge of someone who has navigated the city’s social and physical geography. Her descriptions of Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath, and Highgate Cemetery create a vivid sense of place, while her contrasts between North London wealth and working-class neighborhoods like Kentish Town highlight the class divisions that define the city:
“The city spread out below us, stretching, disappearing into a hazy horizon as the sun set. We were farther east here, so the banking district dominated the skyline, glass towers silver and reflective. And past them, the newer and sharper skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, trying to establish itself as the new financial district.”
Equally captivating are Everett’s sensory descriptions of Saint-Tropez, where Anna’s entanglement with the wealthy Wilder family begins. The Mediterranean villa, the yacht parties, the lavish dinners—all are rendered with seductive detail that makes the reader understand Anna’s intoxication with this world.
Nuanced Character Development
Anna Byrne is a protagonist who earns both our sympathy and frustration. Her background—shaped by her mother’s diabetes, her family’s financial struggles, and her father’s emotional distance—creates a character with understandable motivations for her desperate social climbing. Anna’s intelligence, work ethic, and ability to analyze literature and social dynamics make her an engaging narrator, even as her choices become increasingly questionable.
Everett excels at creating a supporting cast with depth and complexity:
Pippa Wilder – The precocious teenager Anna tutors, whose sharp observations and vulnerability offer a window into the wealthy family’s dynamics
Faye Wilder – Pippa’s sphinx-like older sister, whose alternating warmth and cruelty toward Anna reveal the arbitrary power of the privileged class
Theo – The charming but ultimately hollow love interest who embodies the glamorous but morally compromised lifestyle Anna craves
Callum – The more perceptive and authentic counterpoint to Theo, whose ability to see through social facades makes him both a threat and ally to Anna
Andre and Liv – Anna’s working-class friends, who provide both grounding and a reminder of the authenticity she’s sacrificing
What makes these characters compelling is their resistance to easy categorization. The wealthy aren’t uniformly villainous (Pippa shows genuine affection for Anna), and Anna’s more authentic friends aren’t presented as morally superior paragons. Each character navigates their own relationship with identity, authenticity, and social standing.
Themes of Class, Belonging, and Authenticity
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its nuanced exploration of class dynamics. Rather than offering simplistic commentary on wealth inequality, Everett delves into the psychological and emotional dimensions of class—how it shapes our perceptions, our insecurities, and our sense of possibility:
“I’d come to London to leave this feeling behind. I didn’t like what it said about me—that I was still scraping together the same threadbare life I’d had back home. That I was capable of this deception. Morally and literally bankrupt.”
The narrative cleverly interweaves Anna’s academic study of literary heroines like Isabel Archer and Daisy Miller with her own journey, creating a meta-textual layer that enriches the novel. Just as these fictional women found themselves navigating unfamiliar social codes in foreign settings, Anna too must learn whether adaptation becomes corruption.
Structural and Stylistic Excellence
Structurally, “All That Life Can Afford” moves with precision between London and Saint-Tropez, creating a contrast that highlights Anna’s increasingly divided self. Everett demonstrates particular skill in scenes where these worlds collide—the explosive party scene where Anna’s fabrications come crashing down is masterfully choreographed, building tension with each revelation.
The prose strikes a perfect balance between literary flourish and narrative momentum. Descriptive passages create a vivid sensory experience without slowing the plot:
“The sky exploded with light. Fireworks, but they weren’t coming from the hillside. They weren’t coming from land at all. My eyes found it: a barge, out in the Mediterranean, lit now with tiny flashes that arched skyward, spun, grew dizzy, then heaved their sparkling guts to spatter the black sky.”
Minor Criticisms
Despite its many strengths, “All That Life Can Afford” occasionally falls into predictable patterns in its depiction of wealth. Some scenes featuring elaborate meals, designer clothes, and exclusive venues tread familiar ground covered by other “outsider enters privileged world” narratives. The excessive attention to luxury details occasionally feels more like wish fulfillment than the sharp social commentary that defines the novel’s best moments.
Additionally, the resolution of Anna’s financial and visa problems toward the novel’s end comes somewhat too neatly. While the British Library job opportunity is beautifully integrated with Anna’s character development, the sudden payment from the academy feels contrived—a convenient plot device rather than an organic development.
Finally, some readers might find Anna’s relatively quick romantic resolution with Callum somewhat rushed after the complexity of their earlier interactions. Their relationship would benefit from a few more scenes showing the genuine connection developing between them before the final chapters.
Final Assessment: A Remarkable Debut
Despite these minor shortcomings, All That Life Can Afford stands as an impressive literary debut. Everett has created a novel that functions simultaneously as an engaging coming-of-age story, a nuanced examination of class, and a love letter to the complicated, stratified city of London.
The novel’s greatest accomplishment is balancing critique with compassion. Anna’s desperate social climbing is presented with understanding rather than judgment, and her eventual journey toward authenticity feels earned rather than moralistic. By the conclusion, we understand that true belonging comes not from perfect adaptation to external expectations but from integrating the various parts of ourselves—past and present, privileged and struggling—into a coherent whole.
For readers who enjoyed Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, or Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends, Everett’s debut will prove an absorbing and thought-provoking addition to contemporary literary fiction.
Highlights:
Masterful exploration of class dynamics and social reinvention
Vivid, immersive descriptions of London and Saint-Tropez
Complex, believable protagonist with relatable motivations
Strong literary integration with classic “Americans abroad” narratives
Emotional depth and psychological insight
Areas for Improvement:
Occasionally predictable in luxury descriptions
Some convenient plot resolutions
Slightly rushed romantic conclusion
All That Life Can Afford announces Emily Everett as a significant new literary voice—one with keen insight into social dynamics, a gift for creating complex characters, and the ability to transform familiar coming-of-age tropes into something fresh and compelling. This novel lingers in the mind long after the final page, inviting reflection on our own relationships with authenticity, aspiration, and the stories we tell about ourselves.